Child delinquents need psychological support not punishment to help escape a life of crime, the audience of a Dhaka University Law Faculty programme was told yesterday.
Speakers at a public lecture on Justice for Children said society had to enable young minds to awaken, to learn to distinguish right from wrong and to live in a congenial environment in order to thrive.
“When a child is caught by law enforcers and accused of committing a crime, sometimes he or she does not even comprehend what the offence is. Punishment does not change children’s thoughts, but it may make them more hostile.
“It is better to teach them what is right or wrong in a decent manner, said Justice M Imman Ali of the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court.
He urged parents to pay attention to their children’s intellectual, moral and psychological development.
Criticising the effect of trials on children, he said jail sentence and exemplary punishment were not effective in rehabilitating delinquent children.
He asked the government to pass further legislation to protect children and to implement existing regulations.
With law department chairperson Professor Shahnaz Huda in the chair, Dr Ridwanul Haque, associate professor of law, delivered the introductory speech with students of several batches of the law department present at the programme.
